Everything Hon

Since 2022, Somos HNI—a Member Resource Group created to empower, celebrate, and inspire HNI members and Hispanic and Latino communities—has gathered to commemorate National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15). Established to engage HNI members, their families, and neighborhoods in the contributions, diverse cultures, and extensive histories of American Latino people, the Somos HNI Fiesta kicked off September 3rd and offered attendees a spirited celebration of traditional dance, music, food, and games.

Over the last two years there is no question that we have all been tested (pardon the pun!). And yet, at HON we’ve seen inspiring responses to it all. We’ve been impressed by the resilience of our members, the resourcefulness of our distributors and the determination of those we serve in business, education and healthcare. To us, they’re all essential workers.

You know that achy, stiff feeling you get when standing up after a long sit?

That’s not just old age—it simply stems from a not-so-healthy habit.

Sitting is one of the most time-consuming things we do every single day. We sit at work, we sit while driving, we sit on the couch or at the dinner table. The “sedentary lifestyle” that so many studies have pinpointed as a serious health risk, particularly in the last 16 months as working from home became prevalent, is actually fairly easy to kick.

This year could mean the end of the white elephant gift exchange–and we’re not all that sad about it.

But with the holidays approaching in–let’s face it –very unusual times, we’re reminded that health and safety are Priority No. 1. We know you still want to celebrate with your teams, gather when it’s safe to do so, and enjoy the traditional delights of the season.

Thoughtful design. Exceptional durability. Intuitive solutions.

That’s the HON way. Every piece of furniture we create—from initial conceptualization to its final design—is created with those important benchmarks in mind.

You’ve likely heard us say our products are “made to last.” Other manufacturers will make the same promise, but the follow-through can be an uphill climb. At HON, that challenge is not only fun and exciting for us, but it fuels everything we do.

You know that nagging pain in your back that started a few months ago? How about that strain in your neck, the one you thought came from a weird night of sleep?

Guess what? If you’ve been working from home in a less-than-ideal chair, those aches and pains could be related to it.

As millions of us have discovered in the last several months, ergonomics is a really big deal. No matter where you work – whether it’s a hotel, a school, or even your own home - ergonomics should be a top priority when you’re looking for seating.

As recently as 2017, nearly 3% of the American workforce was working from home. Today, nearly 75 million U.S. workers have a job that offers some form of remote work.

Over the last several months, working from home has become normal for many of us—but even though we’ve grown accustomed to it, no one said it would be a piece of cake.

Educators and administrators have a lot to think about these days when it comes to safety, sanitization, and adherence to CDC guidelines. And many may not know where to find the right products and solutions to meet their needs.

We spoke with Kandice Tjebkes, HNI’s Director of Colors, Materials, and Finishes, and John Schwind, a senior textiles engineer for HNI, to learn more about easy-to-clean materials that will keep schools and their occupants safer in the upcoming year.

Everyone knows that work and how we do it has changed dramatically since last spring. The giant, global “work-from-home experiment” has become the “maybe it’s time work evolved permanently” movement.

This shift in thinking has meant that nothing, from our desks to our chairs to our living spaces, has escaped being evaluated, updated and adapted to better suit our new day-to-day lives.

“You have joined the meeting.”

Welcome to 2020, folks, where nothing is normal but “normal” looks different.

Working from home has prompted plenty of changes to our daily routines, some more easily adaptable than others. One work-in-progress aspect is how we meet, which has seen video conferencing companies become some of the fastest growing in the world.

We’ve mentioned this before, but “Zoom” has almost become a verb. It’s now part of what we do.